Method of operating vapor electric apparatus.



P. H. THOMAS. METHOD OF OPERATING VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZQ. 1915.

1 1 88,579 Patented June 27, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES /1 'I @VW a 23M e. Pw1

A TTOR/VE P. H. THOMAS.

METHOD OF OPERATING VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES 4 TTORNE Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY H. THOMAS, OF UPPER MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO COOPER HEWITT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

; METHOD OF OPERATING VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Original application filed November 4, 1807, Serial No. 400,472. Divided and this 1915. Serial No. 40,853. d

To all whom it may camera:

Be it known that I, PERCY H. -THoMAs, a citizen of the United States, and resldent of Upper Montclair,'county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Operating Vapor Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to that class of circuits in which special means are provided for maintaining the negative electrode of a gas or vapor electric device in continuous operating condition regardless of the load conditions. It is a well-known property of such apparatus that special means are required for overcoming an initial reluctance to starting at the negative electrode and that upon a momentary cessation of such operation this reluctance will become reestablished. In the utilization of direct current obtained from such an apparatus, it is sometimes necessary to make intermittent demands upon the supply, in which case, in general, it would be necessary to re-start the apparatus after such dlscontinuity. A number of means have been proposed for avoiding this difficulty and are now well known in the art. The present invention serves to provide particular means of accomplishing this result which has certain features of advantage above any of the other methods.

Broadly speaking, this invention utillzes a shunt path to the main load through which current is taken at such times as is necessary for bridging any discontinuity in the demands of the receiving circu1t. It IS evident that when desired current may be taken at any other desired times or at all times. In utilizing a shunt in accordance with my invention, it is ordinarily desirable to pass this shunt current, in some part of its course, through an energy storing device which may deliver such stored energy at critical times to supplement the supply. Such supplementary energy may be delivered through a portion or the whole of the Specification of Letters Patent.

tain cases be used for utilizing this inventron are shown in connection with the following drawings of which- Figure 1 represents a vapor converter supplying a direct current receiving circuit and kept al1ve by a circuit in shunt to the receiving circuit and containing a certain inductance; Fig. 2 illustrates a similar circuit in which an additional inductance is used for steadying the flow of current to the recelving circuit; Fig. 3 shows a different arrangement in which a single coil is used serving the function of the two coils of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a modification of the coil of Fig. 3 further economizing energy and facilitating operation.

In Fig. 1 is illustrated a transformer primary, 1, supplying energy to its secondary, 2, whose terminals are connected with positive electrodes-4t and 5, of a vapor electric device, 3, whose negative electrode is 6, and a work circuit, 8, connected between the negative electrode 6 and the middle point, 16, of the transformer secondary 2. A resistance 10 and an inductance, 9 are connect is interposed adjacent to the resistance 15 for opening the starting circuit. The vapor kick switch 13 is a mercury vapor apparatus adapted for discontinuous operation, being started either by motion of its container or magnetically, or by other suitable means. In view of its discontinuous operation there will be a high voltage produced at the points of discontinuity, which high voltage is impressed upon the starting band and the positive electrode 5 when the organization of circuits is started into operation upon the application of electrical energy. This high tension will start the rectifier into operation by a method originally described by Peter Cooper Hewitt in certain patents issued to him on the 17th day of September, 1901, and now well-known in the art for example Patents Nos. 682,690, to682,699 inboth, in

elusive. I find that an absolute discontinuity in operation of the device 13 is not rcuiired in many instances, for there are so ciently numerous and high impulses of electromotive force produced by conditions of unstable operation which may be secured in the device 13 by suitable ad ustments of current, inductances, and other conditions. One favorable method of producing discontinuity or unstableness, or a combination of the device 13 is by limiting the current flow therethrough to a small value or by maintaining a low temperature of the ne%tive electrode.

e general operation of the device is as follows: The secondary 2 passes current alternately through the ositive electrodes 4 and 5 according to the irection of the alternations to the negative electrode 6 and.

thence through the switch 11 which is assumed closed the inductance 9, the resistance, 10, back to the middle point of the transformer secondary 16. At oints of insuflicient voltage of t e supply, energy pre viously stored in the inductance 9 is discharged in the original direction throu h the resistance 10, the middle point 16, of t e transformer secondary 2, the electrodes 4 and 5, and 6, to the coil again. If, now, the

switch 12 be closed, at times when the voltage of the sup ly, which is impressed upon the circuit inc uding the inductance 9 and the resistance 10, is high enough to be of service in the receiving circuit, current will flow therethrough from the converter in addition to the current taken in the shunt ineluding 9 and 10 and useful effect is pro- 'duced thereby. If, however, the receiving circuit be temporarily in a condition in which it receives, a low amount or no energy, current may in some cases practicall cease to flow to the receivin circuit but t e current passing through t e shunt circuit containing 9 and 10, will maintain the rectifier 3 in operative condition as is well under- StOOd;

The resistance 15 serves to control the starting current through the device 13 on the initialstarting of the apparatus. The switch 14 may, in some cases, be used for renderin the starting circuit inoperative, though t e device 13 may also serve this function. a In Fig. 2 a transformer prima 1, supplies energy to its seconds 2 w ose terminals are connected to positive electrodes 4 and 5 of the vapor rectifier 3 having a negative electrode 6 and a supplementary electrode, 50, and a work circuit, 22, receiv- 2. A shunt circuit containing a cut-out, 2

and an inductance, 9, a resistance, 10, connects the negative electrode 6 with the middle point of the transformer secondary 2. The supplementary electrode 50 is connected through switch 19, and a resistance 63, with the point of connection between the inductance 9 and the resistance 10; through the switch and the resistance 63 with the middle point of the transformer secondary 2; and through the switch 18 with the lead of the positive electrode 4, in the latter case throu h the resistance 17. It is also connecte through a switch 51, and the resistance 63, with the positive side of the work circuit, 22. The resistance 63 may be omitted when not required to prevent shunt of starting current for the electrodes 50 an 6 and in some other cases. The cut-out 21, is in operative relation to the coil 20. The switch 12 is interposed in the connection between the negative electrode 6 and the coil 20. Any t pe of direct current apparatus a may be uti zed in the work circuit 22, for example, motor 52, stora e battery 53, or resistance devices 54, 54. he operation of this figure is in general the same as that of Fig. 1. However, in Fi 2 the coil 20' serves to steady the flow 0 current to the operation then consists in applying energy to the system, allowing current to pan through the resistance 17, the switch 18, between the electrodes 50 and 6, through the work circuit or the shunt circuit containing 9 and 10 back to the secondary 2 and then separating electrodes 50 and 6 while still carrying such current. By repeating thil operation until the separation occurs at a. favorable instant of time, the electrode 6 will have its negative electrode resistance broken down and the positive electrodes 4 and 5 will pass current through this electrode as is now well understood in the art. Another feature of the system of circuitl shown in this figure is the shunt path provided for the discharge of energy through the negative electrode 6 by means of the su plementaia'l electrode 50 without e supply circuit. Forthis purpose, the switch 19 may 1 be closed, in which case the coil discharges directly through the switch 19, the electrode 50, the electrode 6, the cut-out 21, or the switch 33 may be closed and the switch 19 may be opened, in which case energitfrtz P i the inductance 9 will be discharged the resistance 10 through the switch 38 to in III the electrode 50 to the electrode 6, and the cut-out 21, thus avoiding the transformer secondary 2. Or, the'coil 20 may be caused to discharge energy similarly through the starting current through the electrodes 50 and 6.

In Fig. 3, the operation is, in general, similar to the operation of Fig. 2, and various partsf are constructed and connected similarly to the similarly numbered parts in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 the coil 28 is connected to the negative electrode 6 by one terminal, and by the other terminal to the positive lead of the load circuit 30, through a magnet coil, 31, and to the shunt circuit, 10, through the cut-out 32, which is in operative relation to the magnet coil 31. The middle point of the transformer secondary 2 connects with the negative side of the work circuit and through the switch 29 with the shunt resistance 10. The supplementary electrode 50 is connected through the switch 34 and the resistance 65 with the junction pointof the cut-out'32 and the coil 28; through the resistance 17 and the switch 18 to the lead of the positive electrode 5; through the resistance 64 and the switch 55 with the negative side of the work circuit; and through the switch 56 with the field 57, of the motor armature, 58, which may form part of the load circuit 30. The resistances 64 and 65 may be omitted as in case of resistance 63 in Fig. 2. By suitably opening and closing the switches 34, 55, 56, the energy stored by the coil 28, as described for the coils, 9, 24 of previous figures, may be discharged either directly through the electrodes 50 and 6 or through the total work circuit 30 and the electrodes 50 and 6, or through a portion of the work circuit as, for example, the field coil 57 of the motor armature 58, through the electrodes 50 and 6, as may be desired, for the conditions of the system. It is evident that in all cases when the switch 29 is closed and the current in the load circuit is insufiicient to operate the cut-out 32 that, rovided the parts are pro erly proportione a sufiicient current Wlll taken at all times through the resistance 10 and the coil 28, and the negative electrode 6 to maintain the rectifier 3 in operative condition.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a modification of the coil 28 serving to economize the energy utilized for keeping the converter alive and facilitating its discharge. In this figure is utilized a second windmg 37 in addition to the winding 36, formed and connected similarly to the coil 28 of Fi 3 so that energy may be stored through t e coil 36 only at the relatively high rate and discharged through the two coils and the switch 39 connected between the winding 37 and the electrode 23 to the electrode 6. It will thus be seen that on discharging the energy stored at the relatively high current through the winding36 will be discharged at any desired lower current through the two coils 36 and 37,- by coils. Where deslred, the coil 37 may be connected directly to the negative electrode 6 in which case energy discharged will pass only through 37 while charging energy will come only from coil 36.

It will be understood that in the above described circuits I have illustrated only a certain number of the methods by which this present invention may be utilized and that in general any modification of these circuits which involves the general principle of the maintenance of the vapor converter such as is here described inoperative condition by means of a shunt path across the work circuit comes within its scope.

This ap lication is a division of my appli- P 400,472, filed N ovemcaton Serial Number ber 4th 1907.

I claim as my invention:

The combination with an alternating current supply, a workcircuit including a direct current motor and a field coil therefor, and a vacuum rectifier comprising a hermetically sealed and completely exhausted. container and suitable electrodes therefor, one at least of which is a va orizable reconstructing cathode, of a supp ementary anode for said rectifier, together with a connection from said field coil to said supplementary electrode whereby any energy discharged from said field magnet. is short circuited through the supplementary anode and the above named cathode.

Signed at New York in New York and State of New day of July A. D. 1915.

PERCY H. THOMAS.

the county of York this 16th properly proportioning these 

